FIG. 1 discloses a conventional shutoff device for a toaster, which includes a guiding shaft 11 extending in an up-down direction, a bread carriage 12, a lever unit 13 connected to and movable along the guiding shaft 11, and a resilient member 14 disposed between the bread carriage 12 and the lever unit 13.
The bread carriage 12 has a first carriage body 121 adjacent to the lever unit 13, and two second carriage bodies 122 respectively connected to lateral sides of the first carriage body 121 and extending away from the lever unit 13. The first carriage body 121 has upper and lower portions 123, 124 spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction and disposed respectively at upper and lower sides of the lever unit 13.
The lever unit 13 includes a contact body 131 disposed between the upper and lower portions 123, 124, a connecting body 132 connected to the contact body 131, an intermediate body 133 connected to the contact body 131, and a knob body 134 connected to the connecting body 132. The contact body 131 has a coupling wall 135, and two contact portions 136 formed respectively on top and bottom ends of the coupling wall 135, disposed between the upper and lower portions 123, 124, connected to and movable along the guiding shaft 11, and extending away from the bread carriage 12. The guiding shaft 11 extends through the upper portions 123 of the bread carriage 12, the contact portions 136 of the lever unit 13, and the lower portion 124 of the bread carriage 12. The knob body 134 is disposed at a top end of the connecting body 132. The resilient member 14 is disposed between the lower portion 124 of the bread carriage 12 and a lower one of the contact portions 136 of the lever unit 13.
The conventional shutoff device further includes a switch (not shown) convertible between a contact position, where the lever unit 13 electrically contacts the switch, and a shutoff position, where the lever unit 13 is separated from the switch.
In operation of the toaster, after a sliced bread is toasted, if the bread carriage 12 is stuck, since a first distance (D1) defined between the upper and lower portions 123, 124 is larger than a second distance (D2) defined between the contact portions 136, the contact body 131 is biased by the resilient member 14 to move upwardly relative to the first carriage body 121 such that the lever unit 13 is moved upwardly to be separated from the switch, and the switch converts to the shutoff position. However, the difference between the first distance (D1) and the second distance (D2) is not large, so that a moving distance of the lever unit 13 may be insufficient to ensure the conversion of the switch. In order to enlarge the moving distance of the lever unit 13, the first carriage body 121 has to be enlarged to lengthen the first distance (D1). However, the enlargement of the first carriage body 121 may affect arrangements of other elements inside of the toaster.